Hello, lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Sverrir Sigurdsson and Veronica Li and their new book, “Viking Voyager: An Icelandic Memoir”! For other stops on their Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!! Also, come back daily to interact with Sverrir and Veronica and to increase your chances of winning!
This eBook is on SALE during the book tour for ONLY $1.99!!! See below for more details.
Thanks for stopping by! Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!
Viking Voyager: An Icelandic Memoir
by Sverrir Sigurdsson with Veronica Li
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GENRE: Memoir/Autobiography
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BLURB:
This vivacious personal story captures the heart and soul of modern Iceland. Born in Reykjavik on the eve of the Second World War, Sverrir Sigurdsson watched Allied troops invade his country and turn it into a bulwark against Hitler’s advance toward North America. The country’s post-war transformation from an obscure, dirt-poor nation to a prosperous one became every Icelander’s success. Spurred by this favorable wind, Sverrir answered the call of his Viking forefathers, setting off on a voyage that took him around the world.
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EXCERPT TWO:
I left Iceland to pursue university studies in Finland in August 1958. I was a nineteen-year-old embarking on my quest to see the world. In my youth I had deeply admired the adventures of the Vikings. Even after the Viking Age was over, young Icelanders often did a stint in Norway, serving a king or nobleman and performing heroic feats in battle. In the modern era, this tradition takes the form of studying overseas and competing in international business and professional arenas. Like my forefathers, I needed to travel to distant lands to prove myself, and then I would return home and use my skills to help make my country one of the greatest in the world.
I was giddy with optimism in those days. Actually, it wasn’t just me. The whole nation was in a state of euphoria. Everything was going right for our newborn republic. With financial aid from the U.S. Marshall Plan, the country reconstructed the ageing fishing fleet that had been decimated by war and neglect. The World Bank, a United Nations affiliate that would employ me many years later, provided loans to Iceland to build the groundwork for an economic boom. Many more bonuses came our way during the Cold War, when the two superpowers contended for our loyalty. Iceland played hard to get, driving the rival suitors to shower her with gifts.
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GUEST POST:
Which Interesting Parts Did I Cut Out of the Story During Editing, and Why?
I’m an architect by training and a geologist at heart. If it were up to me, I would devote a whole chapter to Iceland’s volcanoes. But my wife and coauthor, Veronica, thinks I write too much about “things” and not enough about people and feelings. So I reluctantly cut out or cut short the geological expositions that have no relevance to my story.
However, I still maintain that everyone should learn about volcanoes. Remember the eruption in 2010, when an unpronounceable volcano named Eyjafjallajökull stopped international air travel for a week? Well, that’s only a pipsqueak of a volcano. When you hear about the blow-up of a two-syllable volcano, such as Katla or Laki, you better watch out. The world wouldn’t be the same afterwards.
This isn’t an exaggeration. In 1783, a string of volcanic craters in the vicinity of Mt. Laki erupted over an eight-month period. The lava and poisonous gasses it spewed devastated agriculture and livestock. As a result, a quarter of the Icelandic population died of starvation. The dust and sulphur particles thrown up by Laki also blanketed the sky over northern Europe all the way to Egypt. The weather became searingly hot in the summer and exceptionally cold in the winter, and the sun was shrouded in perpetual fog. Agriculture suffered, causing famines in many countries. Historians believe the food poverty that began then was a major factor in the build-up to the French Revolution of 1789. There’s no question about it—Icelandic volcanoes have the power to change the world.
Another part I had to cut out was the construction of my house, which I designed and built with my own hands on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. Early drafts contained painstaking details about the project, but I finally decided they didn’t fit in the story. These descriptions were in the last chapter, called Home, which was about settling down in the U.S. at the end of my Viking voyages. I should be winding down my story, not starting a new one about building my dream home. Thus I deleted passages, some with great regret such as the following one on my passion for wood:
“There was no question about it—the inside walls of my house would be wood and nothing but wood. But what kind of wood should I use? I imagined myself sitting in the front room, watching the morning rays flow through the glass doors and skylights. The brown tint of oak would dull the light, while the amber glow of pine would enhance it. Price was another deciding factor. A huge quantity of boards would be needed to cover every inch of wall and the cathedral ceilings. Given the affordability of pine, the choice was obvious.
I proceeded to treat the tongue-and-groove boards in my garage workshop. Sanding them wasn’t really necessary, but I had a tendency to go overboard on the matter of details. I applied each board to the sanding belt, wetted it to raise the grain, and sanded it again. A spray of varnish wrapped it up. This procedure for every single board, each five and a half inch in width, consumed much of my time that fall and winter, but the effort was worthwhile. When I ran my fingers on the finished surface, the silky touch sent tingles through my body.”
Likewise, this paragraph was reluctantly axed:
“My passion for wood, born in Dad’s basement workshop, actually had roots that dated back to the Viking days. Wood was the technological breakthrough around 800 AD, when Norsemen mastered the art of splitting, hewing, and shaping logs into all the parts needed to build ocean-sailing ships, an invention that changed the course of human history. The Norsemen also decorated the bow and stern with carvings of dragon heads and other motifs. Those who settled in Iceland passed on their obsession with wood carving. Icelanders carved everything they could lay their hands on, doors, posts, beds, lamps, shelves, spinning wheels, milk pails, bowls, spoons, you name it. No wooden object was safe. Everyone could be a carver, but a master of this art was idolized like a rock star. Wood, as well as bone and horn, was revered material, long-lasting, versatile, and easy to work with. The tools needed were simple: saw, plane, chisel, knife, and shark skin (now replaced by sandpaper). A piece of wood was an open invitation to creativity.”
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AUTHOR BIO – SVERRIR SIGURDSSON:
Sverrir Sigurdsson grew up in Iceland and graduated as an architect from Finland in 1966. He pursued an international career that took him to the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and the U.S. His assignments focused on school construction and improving education in developing countries. He has worked for private companies, as well as UNESCO and the World Bank. He is now retired and lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and coauthor, Veronica.
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CONNECT WITH SVERRIR:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/tssigurdsson
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Sverrir_Sigurds
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20867432.Sverrir_Sigurdsson
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55871711-viking-voyager
Amazon Author Page:
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AUTHOR BIO – VERONICA LI:
Veronica Li emigrated to the U.S. from Hong Kong as a teenager. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and her master’s degree in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins University. She has worked as a journalist and for the World Bank, and is currently a writer. Her three previously published titles are: Nightfall in Mogadishu, Journey across the Four Seas: A Chinese Woman’s Search for Home, and Confucius Says: A Novel. Her website is www.veronicali.com.
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CONNECT WITH VERONICA:
Website:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/veronica.li.39
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/VeronicaLi5
BookBub Author Page:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/veronica-li
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/142534.Veronica_Li
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55871711-viking-voyager
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS & BOOK SALE INFO:
**The Viking Voyager: An Icelandic Memoir eBook is on SALE during the book tour for ONLY $1.99!!!**
Amazon US Kindle eBook:
Amazon US Paperback:
Amazon CA Paperback:
https://www.amazon.ca/Viking-Voyager-Icelandic-Sverrir-Sigurdsson-ebook/dp/B08MDMRM66
Barnes and Noble Paperback:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/viking-voyager-sverrir-sigurdsson/1137551692
The Book Depository Paperback:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Viking-Voyager-Sverrir-Sigurdsson-Veronica-Li/9781645434696
BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:
https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Viking-Voyager/Sverrir-Sigurdsson/9781645434696
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Sverrir and Veronica will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.**This post contains
affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small
commission to help support this blog.
This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome
giveaways on here**
